Why Reporting and Metrics Are Important To Every Recruitment Function - Part 2

By Ann Barrett

Last week I wrote about how recruitment can demonstrate its contribution to a company’s bottom line through reporting and metrics derived from a reporting model. A successful recruitment reporting model is based on the framework that reports need to be meaningful, timely and actionable. This week I discuss the six steps within the reporting framework that I believe any company can follow to develop a successful reporting model.

Recruitment Reporting Framework:

Meaningful	Timely	Actionable
Step 1: Develop a Strategy & Action Plan	Step 4: Provide Training	Step 5: Understand Your Results
Step 2: Work with Stakeholders & Establish a Governance Process
		Step 6: Communicate & Action Results
Step 3: Have a Change Management Plan

 

Step 1: Develop a Strategy & Action Plan

When marketing, IT, sales and other departments, want to implement/ launch a new product/ project, the first thing they decide is the strategy or vision of the primary goal. The strategy helps set the key objectives and enable the development of an action plan.

Developing Your Recruitment Reporting Strategy:	Recruiting Reporting Framework:
What is going to be measured?	Meaningful
Human Capital Inventory (Hires, where, level, etc.)
Recruiter Activity (Number of vacancies, how long open?)
How will it work/ be facilitated?	Timely
Through our RMS or Excel spreadsheet?
Self-service (Recruiter runs reports themselves) vs. Delivered (Someone develops reports and emails to Recruiters)
How frequently?
On Demand (Routinely & Whenever necessary)
Regularly (Based on schedule set by Manager, e.g. Weekly, Monthly, etc.)
What happens to the results?	Actionable
Build back into recruitment operations strategy, recruiter performance, etc.

 

Once your strategy is developed, the next step is to break it down into an action plan. Your action plan will be key tasks that will help you determine the logistics of how to deliver your strategy:

Developing Your Strategy:	Developing Your Action Plan:
1) What is going to be measured?	Take an inventory of all current reports Build standard reports that have enough flexibility to be used by different groups/ businesses
2) How will this work/ be facilitated?	Understand what technology can deliver
3) How frequently do they need to run?	Look at the reporting requirements
4) What happens to the results?	Decide on the real purpose of reports

Step 2: Work with Stakeholders and Establish a Governance Process

The stakeholder processes builds credibility around the meaningfulness of reports. If there is consensus on what will be measured, there is more appeal to use reports. To build credibility, it is important to establish processes around maintenance. For example, once standard reports are built, what’s the process to request a new report without jeopardizing the existing model? The work put in at this stage will ensure the reporting model does not fall apart.  In this stage consider the following:

• Get agreement on standard reports to ensure there is an “apples to apples” comparison
• Provide recommendations on 3-5 key reports
• Establish a governance process for requesting new report and defining the purpose of the report
• Build compliance reports to measure data integrity and maintain credibility.

 

Step 3: Have a Change Management Plan

Change is a fundamental component of business. As businesses try to become more operationally competitive employees are continually being asked to change their behaviours to adapt to new processes or technologies. Change management is the most important and most difficult part of any strategy. In order for a recruiting reporting model to be successful it needs to be meaningful to the users and recipients:

Develop a Communication Plan	The reporting initiative must be championed by your stakeholders and other senior staff in the organization. They communicate why it’s meaningful and important. Communicate milestones to your Recruiters and stakeholders in a timely manner. Users will be more supportive of the change if they have enough time to comprehend the change and what it means it them.
Develop a Change Management Plan	Reporting needs to be anchored and built into regular recruitment routines. Clear accountabilities and consequences need to be established to ensure everyone is “on board”. Users will take action if they understand why there is change and how they contribute to the outcome.

 

Step 4: Provide Training

Training is a key component to ensure reports will be used in the proper way. Training should encompass:

1) Manual or guidelines ahead of training session
2) Have a senior manger participate in the training session to provide context of the strategy, expectations, accountabilities and consequences:

Developing Your Strategy: (From Step 1)

What is going to be measured?

How will this work/ be facilitated?

How frequently do they need to be run?

What happens to the results

 

3) Communicate changes and accountabilities (Old vs. New)

4) Provide tools so recruiters can get assistance with technology and/or processes

5) Provide tools for on-going training such as e-training tools and/or process documentation

 

Step 5: Understand Your Results

Many companies who have some sort of recruitment reporting model in place have difficultly understanding what to do with the results. Business functions depend on reports to assist in remaining competitive and generating revenue.

Understanding Results:	Recruitment Reports:
1) Where are the gaps? What is working/ not working?	Recruitment Satisfaction Survey
2) What marketing/ adverting channels are effective?	Source of Hire
3) What is the ROI?	Cost Per Hire
4) Are expectations being met?	Days to Fill

 

Step 6: Communicate and Action Results

As discussed last week, successful businesses do not merely look at results. They identify gaps and use results to develop recommendations for new business strategies. The key to recruitment contributing to a company’s organizational performance is to understand results and develop actionable items that can be built back in the overall recruitment strategy. Business use reports to better understand:

1. Results vs. Plan
1. Were targets/ deliverables met?
2. On budget?
3. What did the results say?
2. Forecasting
1. Use your results to forecast/ plan for the next year.
2. Action results back into your overall strategy to continuously improve

By using the recruitment reporting framework and these six steps, your company can build a successful, credible reporting model.